The Oral Proficiency Certification Assessment (OPCA) is a performance test requiring students to give a teaching demonstration on an assigned topic chosen from the ones they have submitted. The test is conducted and rated by trained raters to evaluate the international graduate teaching associate candidate’s overall English speaking communicative use in US classroom teaching contexts. The results of the test determine whether the candidate is fully certified to teach independently or conditionally certified while concurrently being enrolled in EDUTL 5055, and thus, which TA duties they are eligible to perform. Representatives from the GTA candidate’s academic department are welcome to observe the candidate’s test performance and progress in order to make teaching assignment decisions.
Note: The test fee for the OPCA is $50 (effective April 1, 2024). Students enrolled in EDUTL 5050 or 5055 will receive detailed payment instructions and must complete the payment by the deadline.